Spring for vehicles.



H. AUSTIN. I SPRING FOR VEHICLES. APPLIOAIION FILED APILM, 1909.

- Patented May 7, 1912.

0.. WASHINGTON u c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT AUSTIN, 0F BARNT GREEN, NEAR BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

SPRING FOR VEHICLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT AUSTIN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Barnt Green, near Birmingham, in ,the county ofWarwick, England, engineer, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Springs for Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

The general or main object of this invention is the provision of aspring, more especially for the axle of a driven wheel of an automobile,which shall combine great flexibility with short periodicity, withgreatly reduced liability to yield sidewise.

The type of spring to which the invention applies is that known asdouble elliptic. In this type of spring, as usually heretofore employedwith an automobile, the ends of the oppositely curved main members ofthe spring are pivoted together by a single pivot at each end, the lowermain member is connected at its middle direct with the axle, and theupper main member is connected at its middle with the frame, and theaxle is connected with the frame by a radius rod. These being the onlyconnections between the spring and the frame, the spring is unstablesidewise, and the frame is very liable to sway.

Now, according to the main features of this invention as broadlydescribed, the extremities of the two main members at one end of thespring are pivotally connected, either one of them directly and theother through a short link, or each of them through a separate link,with the frame,

whereby the spring is well supported sidewise by the frame, and theextremities of the members at the other end of the spring are connectedtogether by a short link, and the middle of the upper member ispivotally connected with the frame.

If the extremities at one end of the two main members are pivoted to theframe, the lower direct thereto and the other by means of a link, radiusrods are not used. If such extremities are each of them pivoted to theframe by means of a separate' link, radius rods are required; and radiusrods are used also if, as in a modification, such extremities are simplypivoted to the upper and lower ends, respectively, of a link the middleof which passes through a guide of the frame in a manner which insuresthat the link will be supported sidewise but be free to move endwise ofthe frame and also vertically,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 14, 1909.

Patented May '7, 1912.

Serial No. 489,780.

and in this case the upper member may be fixed at its middle in relationto the frame. This modification may itself be modified by dispensingwith the link at either or both ends of the spring and pivoting the endsof the main members of the spring together at either or both ends of thespring, in which case the pivoted joint or the link or one of thepivoted joints between the two main members may come inside a guardwhich is rigid with the frame and be thus securely held from movingoutward from the frame, the spring being free however to move endwiseand vertically within such guard; and the upper member may also in thiscase be fixed at the middle in relation to the frame.

The lower main member of the spring is connected with the axle in theusual or any convenient manner, to suit a fixed or turning axle as thecase may be. When one of the main members is pivoted direct at one endto the frame, and also when both such members are linked to the frame atone end of the spring, the upper main member is pivotally connected atits middle with the frame, being conveniently carried in a box, bridle,or the like, which is itself carried by a bracket from the frame, andthe box is capable of rocking about a horizontal pivot axis of thebracket. A convenient form of the connection between the box and thebracket is to place the box between an inner and outer wall of thebracket and to fit a substantially semi-circular bearing at the top ofthe box against the under surface of a pivot pin which is carried by thebracket.

It will be observed that, even in the cases in which a member of thespring is pivoted at one end direct to the frame, or both members arelinked at their corresponding ends to the frame, the construction of theentire spring admits of the link which joins together as aforesaid theextremities of the main members at the other end of the spring, beingquite short, as the movements of the lower main member of the spring,and of the half of the upper main member of the spring which lies in thedirection of that end of the lower main member with which it isconnected by means of the said link,

ed direct to one another at the other end of the spring.

The invention is applicable, also, as will be understood, to springs ofother road vehicles, radius rods being required in such cases alsoexcept when an extremity of one member of each of a pair of springs ispivoted direct to the frame or corresponding portion of the vehicle. Inlieu of radius rods, vertical guides may be provided to keep the axle inplace endwise of the frame while permitting vertical movements thereof.

The linking of the two main members together at one or both ends of thespring, and whether the linking at one of such ends is by means of links(or a link) which connect the members (or one of them) with the frame,or not, affords the advantage that if one of the members has a tendencyto elongate more than the other under a given shock, it is free to do soand irregular bendings causing undue strains of the spring are avoidedor minimized.

In order that the invent-ion may be clearly understood, I will nowdescribe convenient practical applications of the same, by reference tothe drawings herewith, of which 2- Figure 1 is a side elevation of aspring, mounted as used according to a generally preferred form of thisinvention in supporting a motor car frame upon an axle, that is to 'say,in the particular instance given, upon a live axle. Portions of thespring are broken away, for convenience of illustration. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the arrangement shown by Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section takenon line 00 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 3 y of Fig.1.

Referring to the arrangement shown by Figs. 1 to st inclusive; A is therear portion of the side frame of the car, B the axle, C the upper mainmember of the spring, and D the lower main member thereof. The member Dis connected at its middle with the axle in the usual manner, as will bewell understood. The member C is fixed at its middle within a box E. Thebox E fits easily sidewise between the front and back plates f f of abox-shaped bracket F which is itself bolted rigidly to the frame A. Thebox E has a bearing 0, which is conveniently somewhat less than asemicircle, formed in its upper end, which beds up against the undersideof a pin f which is carried by the bracket, and clearance f is leftbetween the underside of the box E and the bottom tremities of themember D of the spring is pivoted direct, by the pivot pin or stud g, toa bracket G which is bolted rigidly to the frame, and the correspondingextremity of the member G is connected, by means of a link 0, with apivot pin or stud of the bracket G. The other extremities of the membersC and D are coupled together by a short double link It. If, as may bethe case, the one extremity of the member D is also connected with theframe through the medium of alink, such as in the manner of thecorresponding extremity of the member C, a radius rod (or guides) willbe required. As will be obvious, a common pivot pin for the member D andthe link 0 may be used in place of the separate pins 9 and 9 Having thusdescribed my invention, I claim 1. An elliptic spring for vehicles,comprising an upper main member, a lower main member, a link connectingone end of one of the main members to the vehicle and permitting endwisemovement of such end in relation to the vehicle, means for pivotallyattaching the corresponding end of the other main member directly to thevehicle, a link connecting together the other ends of said members, andmeans for directly pivotally connecting the middle of the upper mainmember to the vehicle.

2. An elliptic spring for vehicles, comprising an upper main member, alower main member, means for pivotally linking one end of one of themain members to the vehicle, means for pivotally attaching thecorresponding end of the other main member directly to the vehicle,means for pivotally linking together the other ends of said members, andmeans for directly pivotally connecting the middle of the upper mainmember to the vehicle.

3. An elliptic spring for vehicles, comprising an upper main member C,mounted at its middle to rock about a pin f of which the axis is rigidwith the vehicle, a link 0 connecting one end of said member with thevehicle, a lower main member D, a pivot pin 9 directly pivotallyconnecting with the vehicle the end of such member which correspondswith said end of the upper member, and a link it connecting together theother ends of said members.

4. An elliptic spring for vehicles, comprising an upper main member C, abox E within which the member O is fixed, a bracket F within which thebox E just fits easily sidewise, a pivot pin f which has its axis rigidwith the vehicle, a bearing a in the upper end of the box, which bearsagainst the underside of the pin and allows the box to rock under themovements of the member C, a lower main member D, means by which the twomain members are pivotally connected at one end to the vehicle one ofthem directly and the other by a link and Vehicle, and a link itconnecting together the are pivotally connected together at their otherends of said members, substantially as other ends. set forth.

5. An elliptic spring for vehicles, com- I11 witness whereof Ihavehereunto signed 5 prising an upper member 0, a box E, a my name this29th day of March 1909, in 15 bracket F, a pin P, a bearing 6 in theupper the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

end of the box, a link 0 pivotally connect- HERBERT AUSTIN. ing one endof the member 0 with the ve- Witnesses: hicle, a lower member D, a pin 9pivotally or ERNEST PARKER,

10 connecting such member directly with the ROBERT G. GROVES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

